How it Works: 

Visit each of the tabs across the top of the page to gain insights into our industry or to participate in the community discussions or forums.   

The D2C Marketplace

In the D2C Marketplace, you can easily locate products and services unique to our industry without the clutter of a general Internet search engine. You have the option of performing keyword or category-specific searches. Both methods produce the most industry-relevant results on the Internet. Unlike a printed directory, our Marketplace is updated and corrected continuously and has unique tools so that you can interact with prospective suppliers, vendors, and service providers. Post a question directly to one of the listed vendors or visit the Q&A tab to see questions and answers already posted by Marketplace participants. 

The D2C Marketplace is an interactive, SEO enhanced, advanced social media platform that was originally conceived in collaboration with the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) to replace their prior "Gold Book" directory. Prior to the official launch of the D2C Marketplace, ERA unexpectedly shuddered all operations. However, former members of the ERA and other industry participants enthusiastically supported the continued development of the D2C Marketplace and Community as a stand alone social media network for the industry. If you'd like to upgrade your Basic listing in the D2C Marketplace to a Premium Microsite, please log into your account or contact sales@brainsy.com.

If you don't yet have an account, you can visit the Features overview and subscribe: https://direct-to-consumer.expertcommunity.online/a/features 

The Expert Community Online ("ECO")

You can get expert advice from Contributors participating in our ECO. Often, people have questions about how the InCall® feature works. Here are the steps involved in you want to talk with one of our Contributors:  

Step 1: Request a Call
Browse our featured Experts and Contributors or register (it's free!) to view our full directory of professionals. Once you've identified the professional best suited to answer your specific questions, click on the "Request a Call" button on the profile of that individual.
 
Step 2: Login to enter Call Request details
If haven't already registered, you'll be required to do so and to submit your credit card information and a direct telephone number before you can Request a Call. Your telephone number will not be shared and your card will not be charged until the call is completed. (Note: All credit card processing is securely handled by Braintree -- a PayPal company). When you Request a Call, you will select how much of the Contributor's time you'd like reserve (e.g. 30 min or 60 min). You may also include background information about the purpose of the call and send an internal SMS-like message to the Contributor to pinpoint a specific time to talk.
 
Step 3: Have a Discussion with your Expert
Once your Call Request has been submitted, it will join that Contributor's call queue. Expect the Contributor to call you at your designated time or no later than 5 days from the Call Request date. When your phone rings (and depending on your telephone carrier), you may see the number "555-555-5555" or "Number Withheld" or "Unavailable" on Caller ID. Pick up, listen to the instructions to accept the call, and then start talking with the Contributor. You'll get a 2 minute warning before the end of the call and then the call will end automatically at the end of the reserved time -- it's pretty simple. 
 
Other Helpful Information:

  • Your telephone number is necessary for our system to bridge the Expert or Contributor to you but will not be shared.
  • At the completion of your call, you'll be charged a flat rate for the reserved time and you'll receive an email receipt.
  • You may login to your Account to cancel the Call Request any time prior to receiving the Expert or Contributor's call.
  • If the person you selected isn't available within 5 days, you may request a new call or reach out to a different person altogether.
  • Some Experts and Contributors are quite busy and may not have time to respond to every Call Request -- so the more information you include in your personal profile, the more likely the Expert or Contributor will accept your Call Request over that of others.
  • We value your feedback which you can submit using the "Feedback & Support" link at the bottom of this page.